Ten years have passed since the accident which killed her mother and father, leaving her with her precious ten years old brother with no other memories from her past.
'Wake up, wake up!' shouted the Sister (Nun). 'It is noon and your brother is already helping preparing the church.'
The girl stood up and peeled back the covers, the day look young and the peak sun is spreading its rays of light like every day. She looked outside seeing her brother's smiling face and took a heavy sigh then got ready to go out. 'Sister I am going into town again, hopefully this time I will remember something, please take care of my brother while I am gone.'
'No, instead go to this house, I found out they are acquaintances with your parent's a long time ago. Although I am worried because rumour has it they are cruel and their personality is as dark as hell. Oops excuse my language... ok... off you go.' suggested the nun.
'It's alright at least they remember something, and I know nothing' said the girl and left with relieved face.
She strolled down the hill still covered with its summer green grasses and walked along the path leading towards the town of Elder one kilometre away. The market always still looks crowded with the fresh aroma of fresh baked bread, the sound of wailing market sellers and the noise from the playful children never seemed to end. She tried to find the address whilst asking the local bookstore.
'Sorry I do not know. Maybe you could ask the lady gardener at the street corner, she might know' apologized the librarian. She headed towards the house with a door surrounded with peach coloured roses and saw the lady trimming her front garden so the girl asked the lady.
'Sorry I do not know. But it would be wise to ask the baker at the front, he seems to know everybody.' said the lady. She thanks her and walked towards the bakery and asked the baker when she arrived. 'They leave up the hill in the south of town, you could say they are isolated since the rumour started'.
After a while, she finally reached the hill, the mansion looked extraordinary. It is very outstanding with a huge golden gate and the mansion had the colours of a sunset as it reflects the afternoon light. Suddenly a well-dressed man came out of the mansion, which seems posh and young but looked arrogant.
'May I know who you are?' demanded the man.
'That is the answer I want from you, a sister from the church told me you are an acquaintance with my parents.' said the girl.
'Oh... let me tell you this... your parents owed me money worth of your life. I told them that if they cannot repay me twice the value then I will steal their daughter away and that was ten years ago. So I will need you to tell me in four days your reply to my question. Be my wife or become my slave?'
Hearing his statement made her shiver and forced her to run away from the moment, she did not know what to do so she decided to go home and tell the Father of the church. He suggested a secret method; legend says it can grant one and only wish the person has and grants it, they headed towards the underground chamber of the church making sure no one is following them and the priest took the chest from the small pillar platform and told her to open it. It contained a plain silver metallic ring at the centre of the chest.
'Wear this while you sleep and the ring will give you riddles to unlock the hidden mirror and its unknown location.' said the priest.
As the day settles and the moon rose, the girl slept the night hoping the legend to be true. Within her dream a shadow figure stood at the never ending blank space telling her, tonight it will give her her name if she gets the riddle correct. 'The first part is a type of pet, the second is the belonging of a girl and the last is the purpose of having a shelter, it needs an additional 'e' at end and it is not the word 'live'.
Hours seem so long to the girl as she steadily tried to answer the riddles, and finally words came into her head. She replied with 'Catherine but I still remember nothing'. She explained that 'cat' is a pet, 'her' can only be used towards a female and shelter is to 'live in, take away the live and add the 'e'. As soon as she answered the figure then said the next riddle 'if art is judged by beauty what does art truly holds?'
It was easy for her to say 'emotions from the creator' because she can remember the day the priest taught her how God made Earth and created humanity because he loves them. The last riddle sounded more like an important question, 'Are you willing to sacrifice your most important thing?' asked the shadow.
'Yes, I am willing to sacrifice my life to what happened in my past, giving my memories would make me die with joy' replied the girl.
In her dream, the silver metallic ring glowed and disappeared but a floating mirror besides the figure appeared; it reflected the girl and asked 'what is your will?'
'I wish to regain my memories from the time before my parents died' demanded the girl. Suddenly the mirror stopped reflecting the girl instead her brother emerged within the mirror. The mirror laughed menacingly with words that brought her onto the ground filled with tears and voice of sorrow and desperation. 'I never said I will take your life as sacrifice but your most important thing' said the shadow.
As the mirror got foggy and the shape figure of her brother disappeared. The girl wiped the mirror with one stroke and so he did disappear.
'After you wake up, you remember everything', these words were echoing in her dream and she screamed as she woke up still remembering everything that has occurred.
There was a knock on the door and the person went inside her room. 'Sis, are you alright?' it was her brother who went inside her room, it was her brother who spoke and now it is her brother standing right beside her.
'I am fine, it was just a horrible nightmare' said Catherine.
